MUMBAI – In online celebrity culture, the gap between viral fame and targeted smear is razor-thin. This week, Payal Dhare, better known as “Payal Gaming”, a prominent influencer and gaming content creator, found herself at the centre of a planned misinformation drive that has shaken the Indian gaming community.
Everything started on a much brighter note earlier this month. During the Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai, stadium cameras picked up Dhare in the crowd during a tense India vs Australia clash.
Wearing the India jersey and cheering with the fans, she appeared on the big screen for only a few seconds, but that was enough for the viral video to explode online.
Within hours, cricket viewers around the world were asking, “Who is the mystery girl in the stands?”
For her more than four million YouTube channel followers, there was no mystery at all. For many others, it was their first look at one of India’s most popular female gaming creators. The sweet “unknown fan” story did not last long, though.
By 16 December 2025, search results and platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram were packed with posts about a so-called “Dubai MMS leak” linked to her name, spreading rapidly across social media.
How the Deepfake Hoax Spread
The rumours focused on a clip of around 1 minute 20 seconds, with unverified claims also circulating about a 19-minute video that supposedly showed Payal Dhare in a private video. Fact-checking teams and independent reporters have already dismissed these as completely false, much like the high-profile deepfake controversy involving Anjali Arora.
Specialists have pointed to the growing problem of AI-generated deepfakes, tampered and modified morphed videos, and fake MMS that copy a person’s face or voice to create abusive or sexual content without consent.
“We are seeing a planned move to pull down a self-made woman who has worked her way up in a male-dominated industry,” a spokesperson from S8UL Esports, Dhare’s organisation, said. “Most of the links being shared are phishing traps that try to steal data from users by feeding on their curiosity.”
Payal Fans Push Back
The deepfake video claims created a short-lived storm, but the answer from the “Payal Army”, her loyal fanbase, came just as fast. Thousands of supporters used social media to report fake links, flag misleading posts, and speak up for her reputation.
“It’s painful to see someone’s years of hard work attacked for a few clicks,” one fan wrote on X. “This isn’t just about Payal, it’s about every woman who spends time online.”
Payal Gaming has stayed mostly quiet on the exact accusations, choosing not to fuel the rumour cycle. Her recent Instagram post and photos from Dubai show her attending events and focusing on work. Her story, from growing up in a small village in Madhya Pradesh and rising through PUBG and BGMI to sitting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to talk about the future of gaming, still speaks louder than any fake clip.
The Hidden Price of Online Fame
This scandal shines a light on a darker side of internet popularity in 2025. As creators grow bigger, they also face more serious risks, including online scrutiny:
- Deepfake abuse: Using AI tools to build deepfakes, fake, explicit, or abusive videos.
- Clickbait scams: Using shocking search terms to push traffic to unsafe or unrelated sites.
- Privacy attacks: Ripping down the line between a creator’s public image and private life.
FeatureDetailsReal NamePayal DhareOriginUmranala, Madhya PradeshSubscribers4.5 million+ (YouTube)Key AccoladesMobile Streamer of the Year (2024), International MOBIES Award winnerPopular GamesGTA V
Why Digital Awareness Matters More Than Ever
This case is a sharp reminder that digital awareness and online safety are everyone’s job. Cybersecurity experts warn people not to click on links that claim to show “leaked” or “private” content, since many of these sites carry malware or run phishing attacks to collect passwords and personal data. Recurring patterns like those seen with Anjali Arora highlight the need for vigilance.
As the noise around the fake video starts to fade, the larger questions remain. Users, platforms, and regulators need stronger checks on AI-made content, better tools for reporting deepfakes to the Maharashtra Cyber Police, legal action under frameworks like Section 67 IT Act, and quicker enforcement of cyber laws against accounts that spread lies.
For Payal Gaming, what began as a fun stadium highlight turned into a harsh lesson about how fast rumours travel. Yet the real headline of 2025 is not the hoax, but the way her community and S8UL Esports stood firm and refused to let a digital lie bury years of real-world success on her YouTube channel.
